Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Pei Ran had never hired an online gaming companion, but his roommate had. His roommate had chosen a female companion with a sweet voice who kept calling him "big brother" nonstop. Pei Ran could hear every word clearly through the standalone speakers.

That female companion seemed to only play as a support, following his roommate throughout the game and pleading, "Big brother, save me," "Big brother, don't die," and "Big brother, you're so awesome." The term "big brother" echoed in Pei Ran's mind the entire night.

At that moment, Yan Zhun happened to climb in through the window next to him, followed by the sound of a gun and two first-aid kits dropping to the ground. "Pick them up."

Pei Ran asked, "What will you use then?"

"You can lend me any gun."

Yan Zhun then grabbed the Vector submachine gun that Pei Ran had just put down and climbed back out the window.

Yan Zhun led Pei Ran to a wilderness area, where he used his main account with a high rank. Their teammates in this match were all skilled players, shouting in the waiting hall about fighting on the container site.

Yan Zhun remained composed, casually marking a spot on the map only when the plane was nearing its destination, saying, "Jump."

Due to the uneven team composition, their teammates didn't last long after landing. Most players were in a bad mood at night, and these two, despite being eliminated, stayed in the team's voice chat, making sarcastic remarks.

"I'm using my main account, right? Why are there still people who don't even bother jumping with their teammates?"

"The king of the wilderness, I guess. Hiding until the end to snatch a kill and win."

"Annoying. Wanna team up next round, bro?"

"Sure, I'll watch these two get knocked out first."

The scenario unfolded as they had anticipated. Their teammate, indeed, was a wilderness king, surviving until the semi-final circle without a single kill.

But there was a twist.

They had a teammate with the username "111GOD," who, in the semi-finals, transformed into a godlike warrior. Equipped with a Vector, he wreaked havoc across the battlefield. First, he swiftly eliminated a full squad from behind, then skillfully finished off a lone wolf with a well-aimed grenade.

Lacking eloquence, their wilderness teammate could only utter "Damn!" after witnessing the grenade kill.

"Brother, brother, this guy has an M416 in his backpack. You should switch from the Vector," said the teammate with a more amiable tone.

Pei Ran crept forward cautiously and opened the enemy's loot box. Indeed, there was an M4 inside, fully equipped. "Shall I swap guns?"

"No," Yan Zhun replied. "Keep using the Vector."

Teammate One said, "Alright, that's how pros play."

Teammate Two chimed in, "You're right. Good luck, Brother."

In this round, landing the victory was rather effortless. As they were down to the last enemy, both teammates asked Yan Zhun if he wanted to team up.

Yan Zhun replied, "Ask Number Three."

Pei Ran glanced at the bottom left corner... He was indeed Number Three.

"Are you playing as a duo?" asked the teammate. "Number Three, do you want to join us?"

Pei Ran answered, "Not this time."

After eliminating the last player in the game, Yan Zhun lingered on the victory screen for a moment before lowering his gaze to pick up the pack of cigarettes beside his keyboard.

"Number Four is a professional gaming companion," Pei Ran continued. "If you want him to play with you, you have to pay."

Yan Zhun held the cigarette box, unable to resist a soft chuckle.

Pei Ran's tone remained unchanged as he seriously promoted his services. "It's not expensive on the XX app. There's an opening promotion going on right now, but prices will increase soon. My username is..."

His teammates listened in disbelief, replying with a few vague affirmatives.

As Yan Zhun returned to the game lobby, his phone lit up. Unlocking it, he saw that someone had placed an order, likely one of his recent teammates.

He put the cigarettes back and tapped to decline the request.

Pei Ran came back with a cup of coffee, its color lightening as he stirred in milk.

"Did they place an order?"

Yan Zhun replied with a tinge of disappointment, "No."

Diving into another game, Pei Ran was still trying to enter the map when an unfamiliar male voice echoed through his headset:

"111, what a coincidence."

"111, you don't know him? It's that brother who skyrocketed in the Asian server rankings not long ago."

"111, are you there? Do you remember me? We're friends."

Yan Zhun glanced at the player's ID, xktv197, which seemed to belong to a streamer based on the name.

However, he had added too many streamers, and couldn't quite remember who was who.

Yan Zhun hummed in response.

Number 197 was still live-streaming, constantly engaging with his audience. Once on the plane, he asked, "Number 111, where are we dropping? I'll follow you."

As soon as he finished speaking, a golden marker appeared in the small wilderness area on the far right of the map.

Number 197: "?"

197: "You accidentally shot me?"

Yan Zhun replied, "I was playing in a duo."

197 glanced at the teammate's ID and understood, "Player number three? Ranbaobei? Oh... are you playing with your girlfriend?"

Pei Ran's account was created by Luo Qingshan, and the username was also chosen by him. It was a matching couple ID with Luo Qingshan.

At first, Pei Ran felt that the name was too feminine, but changing it was a hassle, so he left it be. Now that someone had read it out loud, he felt a slight sense of embarrassment.

"It's fine, don't worry about me," Pei Ran spoke through his microphone, "Just focus on your own game."

Hearing a male voice, 197 paused for a moment before saying, "A beginner? Alright, let's land in the wilderness then. Since the map is small, we'll encounter other players soon enough."

Yan Zhun had selected the random mode, and they were currently playing on a small rainforest map.

Before long, Yan Zhun returned with a fully-equipped M4.

Pei Ran looked at the gun on the ground and said, "No need, there are plenty of guns on this map, I already have an M4 as well."

Yan Zhun remained silent, standing still for a while without moving, the gun still on the ground.

In the end, Pei Ran squatted down and tossed his M4 without attachments onto the floor. Yan Zhun swiftly picked it up and left through the door.

Pei Ran: "…"

The entire scene was witnessed by 197, who teased, "111, what are you doing? Does Baby Ran's gun have a bonus buff?"

Yan Zhun nodded. "Using my boss's gun doubles my combat effectiveness."

197 suddenly understood. "You're also moonlighting as a gaming companion?"

Yan Zhun replied, "Something like that."

197 was right. The small map was filled with players. They had just finished looting two minor wilderness areas when gunshots sounded nearby.

"E direction," 197 glanced at the map, "Damn, where are you going, 111?"

Pei Ran looked at the person closely following him. "…We'll head there now."

When they arrived, their teammates were already engaged in combat with the opposing team, four against two. They had suffered considerable losses. One of their wilderness teammates had been eliminated, while 197, with only 197 health points, was crouching behind a rock, frantically administering first aid while attempting to avoid detection.

Pei Ran caught a glimpse of an enemy with his peripheral vision, back turned and aiming at someone else. He instinctively fired, fortunately maintaining steady aim and successfully knocking the enemy down.

Pei Ran rarely managed to eliminate opponents while playing this game; one kill per match was already considered a good outcome. It wasn't until the enemy fell that he became aware of how rapidly his heart was pounding.

"Well done," Yan Zhun's voice echoed amidst the gunfire.

It was like being praised by a teacher back in primary school, causing Pei Ran's cheeks to inexplicably flush. Concealed behind a tree, he reloaded his ammunition.

197, having recovered his health, promptly reported the enemy's position. Yan Zhun drank a painkiller and said, "I'll throw a grenade, you approach from the left. I'll cover the front."

The duo charged forward, Yan Zhun's two bursts of bullets taking down two enemies. On the other side, 197 successfully ambushed another.

"They're all gone. I took them out directly. Time to loot the supplies," 197 announced, lying prone in the grass. "Great job, mate."

Yan Zhun remained silent. A distant, muffled sniper shot rang out. He moved to the right and peered through his scope.

Before he could locate the shooter, gunshots sounded from behind him.

197: "F*ck! Someone's touching our asses! Damn, another squad is coming!"

As the words left his lips, two kill notifications popped up in the top right corner. Both 197 and Pei Ran were knocked down.

Yan Zhun reacted swiftly. He spun around, aimed, and eliminated one enemy. Before he fell, the foe managed to fire two shots at Yan Zhun, turning his health bar a pale pink.

Yan Zhun's position was advantageous, causing 197's heart to race with anxiety. "There's still one more. Don't rush, take your medicine first. It looks like that guy is going for Ran Baby..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Yan Zhun canceled his healing action and charged forward with his gun raised.

197: "????"

Pei Ran's "don't" was stuck in his throat as Yan Zhun burst into his field of vision.

During those few seconds that Yan Zhun exchanged fire with the enemy, Pei Ran felt as if his chest would burst from the intensity.

When Yan Zhun secured the kill with only a sliver of health remaining, Pei Ran exhaled a heavy sigh of relief. He leaned back, releasing his mouse, only to realize that his palms were drenched in sweat.

...It was too exhilarating.

"Damn it! Bloody hell! Buddy, others play games, but you're playing with my heart!" Struggling to crawl to Yan Zhun's side, 197 had taken two enemy shots after collapsing, leaving his health bar almost depleted. "Brother, help me up quickly."

Just as he said that, 197 watched in despair as Yan Zhun left him behind to rush towards Pei Ran, who still had a significant portion of his health remaining on the other side of the slope.

"Any med kit?" Yan Zhun asked.

Pei Ran snapped back to reality. "Yes."

"Good. Go loot the backpack, it's all up there."

197 wailed. "It's over, it's all over, I'm done for...!"

Fortunately, Yan Zhun wasn't entirely heartless. Just as 197 was on his last sliver of health, Yan Zhun pulled him to safety.

"Buddy, you really gave me a scare," 197 complained, feeling wronged. "I crawled all the way to your side, and you didn't help me. What were you thinking, buddy?"

Yan Zhun replied, "Thinking about my boss."

Pei Ran: "..."

197: "Your boss still has half his health!"

Yan Zhun loaded his 98k rifle, "What if his teammate finishes him off? If you die, I can still strive to carry you to a victory."

197: "?"

"If he dies, I'll have no choice but to commit suicide."

There was a moment of silence from 197, "Okay... To those who know, you're a top-rated gaming companion. But to those who don't, they might think you two are in a relationship."

Yan Zhun watched as the person in front of him froze in place.

A few seconds later, ranbaobei resumed running, and the microphone icon next to their ID flashed, "Mmm, such an excellent companion only costs twenty yuan per hour on platform XX..."

Yan Zhun chuckled, uncontrollably clicking the mouse, causing his in-game character to swing a punch at thin air.

They played until four in the morning.

Pei Ran was so immersed in the game that he didn't notice the time. It wasn't until Yan Zhun suggested taking a break that he realized how late it had become.

Pei Ran had just settled into bed when his phone rang.

"Yan Zhun: How was my service?"

"Pei Ran: Excellent."

Feeling that his response was too perfunctory, Pei Ran added more.

"Pei Ran: Really."

"Yan Zhun: Yeah, it's my first time doing this, so I'm a bit inexperienced."

"Pei Ran: Have you received any new orders?"

As Pei Ran sent this message, Yan Zhun was just opening the backend of the gaming companion app.

Over the course of the night, he had received more than forty requests for his services as a gaming companion.

Recalling the earnest tone with which Pei Ran had promoted him, Yan Zhun covered his face with his hand, unable to resist a smile.

"Yan Zhun: No, it seems like my popularity isn't that great."

Pei Ran held his phone and pondered for a moment before typing out a rather awkward "Good luck."

Before he could send it, another message arrived.

"Yan Zhun: Do you really think I'm good at this?"

"Pei Ran: Seriously, I do."

"Yan Zhun: So, would you like to book me for longer?"

Pei Ran was taken aback.

"Yan Zhun: It's my grand opening special. If you buy more time, I'll be all yours throughout the holiday."

"Yan Zhun: Is that okay?"

"Yan Zhun: Boss Pei,"